This invention relates generally to flexible packages, and more particularly to flexible packages for holding food or other edible products, and which once opened are arranged to serve as bowls from which the food or other edible product(s) may be eaten.
Various types of flexible packages for holding particulate materials, e.g., ground or whole bean coffee, agricultural products, such as seeds, chemicals, etc., under vacuum therein have been disclosed in the patent literature and are commercially available today. Examples of such packages are found in the following U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,285 (Goglio), U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,174 (Goglio), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,561 (Beer). The major advantages of flexible packaging, as compared to relatively rigid packaging, e.g., cartons, are that until the flexible package is filled it takes up very little volume, and after it is emptied of its contents it readily collapses, thereby reducing its volume to approximately that of the unfilled package. The former characteristic is a significant advantage insofar as storage is concerned, while the latter characteristic is a significant advantage from the standpoint of being disposable.
Heretofore many of the prior art flexible packages have included means for providing access to their contents. For example, the heretofore identified U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,174 (Goglio) discloses a package for coffee which includes a peel strip applied to the inner surface of the package below the top edges. The strip provides an air-tight interfacial seal which can be readily peeled apart to provide access to the interior of the package. Another approach to providing an opening or mouth for a flexible package to provide access to its contents is to score the upper flap of the package by laser or mechanical means through a tear initiation resistant layer(s) of the package structure. In this way the package can be opened by tearing away the scored area to form the package's mouth. The contents of the package can then be dispensed for use. Flexible packages in the form of stand-up pouches, are commercially available and typically include so-called "zipper-type" closures to provide access to the contents of the package.
Some flexible packages for foods are commercially available and are constructed to enable the food(s) to be eaten directly from the package. For example, microwaveable popcorn is commonly offered in flexible, expandable packages. Such packages are constructed so that portions expand when the package is microwaved so that the popcorn kernels pop to increase their volume. Once the popping is completed the package is arranged to be opened, e.g., torn along a sever line, to enable the popcorn to be eaten directly from the package. U.S. Pat. No. 5,770,839 (Ruebush et al.) discloses one such a microwaveable bag for cooking and serving popcorn.
Conventional stand-up pouches formed of flexible materials have been used for holding foodstuffs, but such pouches are not generally suitable for use as a bowl-like vessel from which food can be eaten because of the shape of such pouches. In this regard a conventional stand-up pouch is usually constructed to have parallel vertical side panels, the width of which being the same from bottom to top. Although such pouches are fairly sturdy in their construction and are arranged to stand upright, the constant width configuration presents a significant inherent shortcoming insofar as ability to serve as a vessel, e.g., a bowl, from which food can be readily eaten. The same holds true for gusseted types of flexible packages.
Conventional pouches or bags made of flexible materials, such as those commonly used for potato chip and popcorn containers, also suffer from significant shortcomings as a vessel from which food can be eaten. Perhaps the most significant drawback is that such pouches do not provide the stability necessary to support the food for eating, particularly if the food, e.g., a dry cereal, is to have a liquid, e.g., milk, introduced into it. Moreover, many of the prior art flexible pouches are designed to be opened from the top, and then laid down when opened. This type of package is thus not conducive for eating a foodstuff to which a liquid is applied, e.g., a dry cereal with milk, directly from the package, since the liquid could run out of the package. Those flexible pouches which are not opened from the top, will typically require making a narrow slit or other opening in one of the panels of the package to provide access to the interior. The slit would of necessity have to be relatively small and/or narrow so as not to compromise whatever stability the package may exhibit. As should be readily appreciated, eating a food from a flexible package through a narrow slit may be difficult at best, particularly if the food has a liquid applied to it, e.g., dry cereal with milk.
The prior art patent literature also includes various disclosures of non-flexible packages for holding and serving foods. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,974 (DaCosta) discloses a generally parallelopiped food container having a boat shaped handle for holding a flexible bag of food, e.g., baby food. The package also includes a spoon for serving the food.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,679 (Newarski) discloses a single use package formed of plastic or fiberboard and defining a preformed bowl for holding cereal and milk or other dry food and beverage. The package also includes a spoon to enable a user to eat directly from the package.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,763 (DeMars) discloses a flexible package in the form of a pouch holding a foodstuff, e.g., potato chips, popcorn, peanuts, etc., and a collapsible container formed of a thin material disposed within the pouch in a folded compact condition. The collapsible container is arranged to be removed from the flexible package and unfolded into a bowl-shaped configuration. The foodstuff from the pouch can then be poured into the bowl-shaped container for use.
While the aforementioned prior art are generally suitable for their intended purposes, a need still exists for flexible packages for food products and the like which are simple in construction, low cost, easy to use, and which when opened serves to enable one to eat the food product from the package and/or to prepare the food product therein.